Who is that this particular person anyway?
Irene Zhao, the Simp-Queen mastermind behind the SO-COL platform and a Crypto Twitter influencer, explains that having a star in your nook can turbocharge your NFT assortment.
Zhao’s first Simp DAO and NFT assortment, IreneDAO, began with a ground worth that was mainly pocket change in ETH.
“I believe it was about zero-point-something ETH,” Zhao recollects.
Nevertheless, the sport modified for Zhao when controversial YouTube star Logan Paul threw in round 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 {dollars} in January 2022.
“The following day, I awoke, the ground worth went up 5 instances when Logan Paul purchased about 20 items or one thing. I used to be actually shocked,” she explains.
I can’t repair you 
pic.twitter.com/oyMLut3S2F
— Irene Zhao (@Irenezhao_) November 4, 2023
Zhao reveals that Paul stumbled upon the venture after billionaire crypto investor Mike Novogratz posted about it on Twitter. That kickstarted a friendship with Paul:
“Logan adopted me on Twitter and Instagram after he purchased my NFTs,” Zhao says, including, nevertheless, that they’ve by no means managed to satisfy up.
“I used to be going to journey to Los Angeles, however on the time, he was someplace in Puerto Rico. So, we didn’t get to satisfy ultimately. However we do have conversations about NFTs.”
Rubbing digital shoulders with large names like Paul is only a common day within the lifetime of a crypto influencer. Zhao boasts 194,300 Twitter followers, runs her personal Web3 NFT platform firm, SO-COL, and globe-trots to talk at crypto conferences.
“I meet a whole lot of cool and profitable folks, and so they all have very attention-grabbing personalities. In any other case, they wouldn’t select crypto as a profession as a result of it’s a really dynamic and really fast-paced profession trade.”
What led to Twitter fame?
Zhao had already constructed a following as a social media influencer within the Web2 area, and very similar to Bitcoiners orange-pilling their associates, she has launched most of her followers to NFTs.
“I’ve been constructing my very own private branding as a key opinion chief throughout varied social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. So, proper now, I’ve about half 1,000,000 followers throughout all platforms.”
I’ve been an IG influencer since my college days. I bought fortunate and Individuals appreciated my photographs. In six years I now have some 300k+ followers, amongst the highest 10 influencers in Singapore. You’ll assume I’m comparatively properly to do with such a giant follower base. However you’re fallacious. pic.twitter.com/UT0A3eDN64
— Irene Zhao (@Irenezhao_) January 20, 2022
She jumped into crypto as a result of she wished to have management over her personal content material. She was fed up with solely monetizing her content material by selling merchandise, which is how Web2 influencers make a dwelling.
“I’ve constructed a deep reference to a whole lot of large manufacturers, but it surely form of sucks, as a result of despite the fact that I’ve a really large following on all different social media platforms, I don’t actually get many of the advantages. I don’t actually personal my content material or my neighborhood.”
Zhao arrange one of many first Simp DAOs, the place NFT purchasers might be part of her Irene DAO fan membership and get nearer to their Simp Queen. She later spun this concept out for the SO-COL platform.
In my well being is wealth period
I’m so prepared for the street journey with @truck_memecoin pic.twitter.com/2Wh1TqsIps
— Irene Zhao (@Irenezhao_) November 1, 2023
Zhao jokingly mentions that she’s a giant deal in Asia however can roam beneath the radar within the Western world:
“They acknowledge me, particularly in Asia, however within the Western world, the white folks can’t actually acknowledge Asian folks. They assume everyone seems to be the identical,” she laughs.
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What content material can folks anticipate?
Zhao isn’t a fan of the intense tone of some within the crypto world. In her perspective, those that take pleasure in technical or trading discussions won’t essentially be essentially the most interesting minds within the crypto neighborhood.
“I believe I just like the shitposting. It’s fairly humorous; it’s very entertaining to have a look at all of the memes.”
He doesn’t ship me crypto memes anymore, it is over I misplaced him.
— Irene Zhao (@Irenezhao_) Could 9, 2022
Zhao holds the idea that making crypto memes requires an even bigger mind than sharing trading suggestions:
“It’s a very sensible transfer as a result of you need to perceive the market, and you need to perceive the viewers to provide you with the precise meme that folks need. So, it’s a really uncommon expertise to have.”
Think about spending 1 hour a day making memes and shitposts on Twitter, that’s 30 hours a month.
For those who had spent these 30 hours trading crypto. You’ll have missed out on the straightforward joys of shitposting and even lose cash.
— Irene Zhao (@Irenezhao_) November 15, 2021
Nasty Beef: Woman of Crypto
Zhao had a public beef with fellow crypto influencer Woman of Crypto in December 2021.
The feud lit up after Zhao evenly teased her on Twitter for dispensing a no brainer tweet.
“She was predicting the worth of Bitcoin or one thing, but it surely was an excellent apparent pattern. So, I used to be like, ‘You’re stating the apparent,’ after which she bought offended.”
The scenario took a bitter twist when Woman of Crypto fired again with some nasty feedback about Zhao’s English abilities, saying, “In your vids, you may barely string two phrases collectively.”
Zhao didn’t let it get to her personally and thought it was “tremendous humorous.”
Ever the businesswoman, Zhao was extra all for the truth that the submit accrued round “4 million impressions.”
Woman, you are doing such an excellent job with $KONO.
Query although.
In your vids, you may barely string two phrases collectively. But the English in your tweets is 
, why is that? pic.twitter.com/PSZykRaYd6
— Woman of Crypto (@LadyofCrypto1) December 11, 2021
Predictions?
Zhao’s predictions are just about in keeping with frequent, obtained knowledge. She’s eagerly anticipating Bitcoin to achieve the $100,000 mark.
Nevertheless, she’s additionally betting large on real-world belongings taking off within the subsequent 12 months:
“In fact, I’m nonetheless bullish on BTC, Ethereum and all of the fundamentals. Persons are speaking about RWA rather a lot. I believe actual world belongings are most likely going to go large within the subsequent 12 months.”
She additionally believes that NFTs nonetheless have room for progress as a result of loads of celebrities haven’t hopped on the bandwagon but.
“I believe NFTs for creators goes to be an actual hype actually quickly as a result of we haven’t actually skilled it but,” she explains.
“I’m nonetheless bullish on social collectibles as a result of we haven’t actually onboarded all of the Web2 creators to NFTs but. So, I believe there’s nonetheless a lot room for that.”
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Ciaran Lyons
Ciaran Lyons is an Australian crypto journalist. He is additionally a standup comic and has been a radio and TV presenter on Triple J, SBS and The Challenge.